Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-11-11
Careful Review of the Evi-
dence Presented.
MENTION OF THE PETITIONS.
The Governor Regrets the Action
He is Compelled to Take
in the Matter.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALl
SPRINGFIELD, November 1O.-The
following is the Governors decision in
full in the Anarchists case:
STATE OF ILLINOIS,
EXECUTIVE MANSION
SPRINGFIELD, Nov. 10, 1857. J

EXECUTIVE MANSION.
SPRINGFIELD, Nov. 10, 1877
On the goth day of August, 1886, il
the Cook County Criminal Court, Au
gust Spies, Albert r. Parsons, Samue
Fielden, Michael Schaa alb, Adolpf
Fischer, George Engel and Loui
Lingg were found guilty by a verdic
of the jury, and afterwards sentenced
to be hanged, for the murder of Ma
thias J. Degan. An appeal was taker
from such finding and sentence to thu
Supreme Court. That Court, upol
final hearing and after mature delib
Grafton,
UNANIMOUSLY AFFIRMED
the jud ,ment OF the Court below
The case now comes before me by
petition of the defendants on consider
alton as Governor OF the State; if the
letters of Albert Parsons, Adolpl
Fischer, George Engel and Loui,
Lingg, demanding Unconditional re.
lease" or as they express it Liberty
or death" and protestingin
THE STRONGEST LANGUAGE.
against mercy on commu alton of the
sentenced produced against them can
be considered petitions. The grounds
insisted upon by the four above
named persons could in no proper
sense be deemed the exercise OF con-
stitutional power to grant reprieves,
combinations and pardons unless
used upon belief on my part of their
entire innocence OF the crime of which
they stand convicted.
CAREFUL CONSIDERATION
of the evidence in the record of the
trial of the parties, as well as OF all
that alleged and claimed for them out
side bf the record, has ed to pro-
duce elupon my mind any impression
tending to impeach the verdict of the
jury or the judgment OF the trial
Court or OF the Supreme Court affirm
ing the guilt of all these parties.
Satisfied, therefore, as / am,
OF THEIR GUILT,
I am precluded from considering the
question OF commutation of the sem
tences Of A. r. Parsons, Adolph
Fischer, George Engel and Louis
Lingg, to imprisonment in the peni-
tentiary, as they eniphatieally declare
they will not accept such commuta-
tion. Samuel Fielden, Michael Sch
wab and August Spies, unite in a
petition for
"ExEcuTrvE cLEMENcY."
Fielden and Schwab in addition
present separate and supplementary
petitions for a Communication of their
sentences. While, as said above,
am satisfied of the guilt OF all the par
ties as found by the verdict of the
jury, which was sustained by the
Judgment of the courts, most careful
of the whole subject
leads me to the conclusion that the
sentence OF the law as to Samuel Fiel-
den and Michael Schwab
:. MAY BE MODIFIED
as to each of them, in the interest of
and without doing violence
to public justice, and as to said Sam
uel Fielden and Michael Schwah the
sentence is commuted to imprison.
ment in the penitentiary
~ FOR LIFE.
AS to the other above named defend
ants, 1 do not feel justified in intetfer-
ing with the sentence OF the court.
While 1 would gladly have come to a
different conclusion in regard to the
sentence of defendants August Spies,
Adolph Fischer, George Engel, Albert
r. Parsons and Louis Lingg, l regret
to say that under solemn sense OF
the obligations of my office, | have
been unable to do so.
(Signed) RICHARD ]. OGLEsBY,
(tnvprpOr